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 Old Mill School, c. 1930 |
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The Mill Valley Historical Society has an off-the-wall dream. If you drive by what once was the Old Mill Market on Throckmorton Avenue across from Old Mill School, you'll probably notice the hint of red lettering that barely reads "Arden's Ice" (for Ice Cream). What you can't see is the hand-painted trail map under its protective boards. The Mill Valley Historical Society has taken on the task of physically saving the map, which has been hidden under the pale beige-green shingles since the 50's. You should look quickly, however, for the building that many of us remember as Bill's Fix-It Emporium  --with the nice big electric clock misplaced on the front wall--is slated for demolition sometime in April. The construction of affordable housing is finally about to begin."People came up here on the train, and they stopped here …for the bakery or something and they didn't know where the trail was and they looked at the map and then they took off," said William 'Bill" Thran, in his oral history recorded by the Mill Valley Historical Society in 1989. Possibly he was the one who shingled over the local landmark after he purchased the property in 1949. Passenger trains stopped running in Mill Valley in 1940. The known history of the property at 332 Throckmorton Avenue goes back to 1898 when it was purchased by Marie Buss. She and her husband John G. Buss owned a store called the Mill Valley Cafe, Bakery and Confectionary. After John died, Marie kept on with the store until 1920 when the building was sold to Louis Gerhardt and his sister Annie Gasch. They owned it for 25 years. During the 30's, the store was called Mohr's Grocery run by Mr. and Mrs. Mohr. The Mohr family, mother, father and two grown children lived upstairs over the store, which served school kids, hikers on weekends, and local residents from Cascade and upper Throckmorton.  The Society is looking for a permanent home for this newly discovered trail map on the side of 332 Throckmorton Avenue, which is scheduled for demolition in April. The Society needs a new home for the old tongue and groove redwood map, perhaps in an accessible public place where it can guide future generations to Mt. Tam's trails while sharing a bit of Mill Valley's past. Please send your ideas via e-mail to info@millvalleyhistoricalsociety.org. |
